Bank Group ContributionFrom 1988 to 2012, the World Bank contributed approximately $1.4 billion to support mining sector reform. As of December 2012, the Bank was directly providing lending support through... Show More + 12 projects with a financial commitment of $364 million. Due in part to its tremendous mineral potential and high levels of poverty, Africa receives approximately 70 percent of funds totaling $246 million through eight projects. The remaining funds are allocated through two projects in East Asia with a commitment of $26.3 million and two projects in South Asia with a commitment of $92 million. The projects vary in size (from $9.3 million – Mongolia, 2008, to $200 million – Mexico, 1991) and complexity and take 5-7 years to complete. In 2012, two new projects were approved: Guinea ($20 million) and Cameroon ($30 million).The World Bank works closely with other donors and multilateral agencies in this sector. It often channels funds from various sources into trust funds to suppor Show Less -

Bank Group ContributionActual total project costs were US$4.9 million, comprising GEF funding of US$4 million and Government contribution of US$0.9 million, about 28 percent of which was expected at appraisal... Show More + under the blended operation with the Land Administration Project II, and about 36 percent of the counterpart amount following cancellation of the Land Administration Project II. Lower costs were due to (i) over-estimation of areas to be covered by field regularization activities, (ii) the non-completion of certain activities. Subcomponents 1.2 (legal and institutional framework) and 1.3 (public dissemination and awareness campaign) were a fraction of anticipated (11.3 percent and 8 percent respectively) due to non-performance, and (iii) time ran out and the Bank did not approve a second extension of the closing date to complete activities. Component 2 costs were about 17 percent higher, and administrative costs were 28 percent lower than expected.PartnersThe project was a partners Show Less -

ResultsThrough the Business Environment Technical Assistance Project (2005–12), Kosovo’s business environment has improved, reflected in its jump of 28 places to 98 (out of 183 countries) in Doing Business... Show More + 2013. Improvements in the business climate include:registering a new business, which now takes about three days;establishing a one-stop shop for business registration, with joint tax and business registration;reducing the average time to start a business by six days in 2011, from 58 to 52 days;developing new legislation requiring the Business Registration Agency to process required documents within three rather than 10 days, as in 2009;amending the Laws on Business Organizations to increase minority investor protection. In the education sector (Institutional Development for Education Project 2007–13), the Bank has supported the implementation of the Strategy for Development of Pre-University Education in Kosovo and the Strategy fo Show Less -

Adapting to change, thinking about the futureThe project is contributing to generating contexts and tools to mitigate the impact of climate change and glacier retreat. In the Mantaro and Urubamba watersheds,... Show More + the project has developed maps and climate scenarios until 2030, and has conducted a detailed assessment of the impact of climate variability and change, prioritizing crops such as coffee, granadilla and avocados in the Santa Teresa sub-basin, and potato and corn in the Shullcas sub-basin.These studies provide valuable information for improving crops and increasing productivity in these zones. At the same time, these experiences can be used as models for other locations. “…previously, the rains began before September but now they start after October…before, everything was green in September; now the fields are still dry in that month …” said a resident of Chaupimayo in Santa Teresa sub-basin, Cusco.Specific measures to adapt to climate change have been implemented in three are Show Less -

Produce and conserveProduction and conservation can be compatible. In certain cases, for example, a portion of forest less dense (thinned) can produce wood with larger diameters (and higher commercial... Show More + value) and simultaneously generate more favorable conditions for large mammals.Meanwhile, Hugo Fassola, a forest engineer, seeks to optimize the use of wood from forest plantations. "My job is to assist producers to make a better management, to evaluate the quality of the wood and to know how their product performs in the industry," says Fassola.As part of the project, he conducted a series of tests to the tree as a whole, to the log and to the board to determine the quality of the wood and, therefore, to improve its marketing.In Argentina, forest areas reach 34 million hectares, of which 97% are native forests. The remainder relates to plantations, mostly of pine and eucalyptus, which are mainly located in the Mesopotamian region. Show Less -

Bamboo as an alternativeEcuadorean bamboo grows throughout the coastal and rainforest areas of the country. This material is environmentally sustainable and dwellings made from it have been designed to... Show More + take full advantage of its potential. Housing design permits good ventilation to cool the environment during the hottest months of the year. Highs ceiling protect the structure and the walls from the sun and rain. One thousand to 1,200 six-meter bamboo posts or stalks are needed to build each house.Since the walls (panels) and structure of the house are pre-fabricated, the new technique using bamboo enables houses to be completed in just two weeks. Bamboo houses can last several years if properly maintained.INBAR was one of the winners of the Development Fair competition organized by the World Bank in 2009. The proposal "Elevated bamboo houses to protect communities in flood zones” was selected among 1,755 entries in the contest "100 ideas to save the planet."Each winner r Show Less -

According to Jorge Zegarra, of Petramás (Peruvians Working for a Healthy Environment), “It is a model to apply throughout Peru since more than 70% of the country’s solid wastes are disposed of improperly.”The... Show More + additional income generated by the new waste treatment plant will reduce the costs of the service for municipalities and for residents of Lima and Callao.The implementation of this Clean Development Mechanism makes the functions of a sanitary landfill more important and contributes to mitigating the effects of climate change. Show Less -

An ecological meat, far from UtopiaNatural grassland livestock is already being implemented in pilots in four different sites in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, Santa Fe y Corrientes.... Show More + The Argentina Grassland Program is being undertaken by Aves Argentinas and Fundacion Vida Silvestre and supported by a donation from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), managed by the World Bank.An important milestone for this initiative is the fact that natural grassland beef is now on sale in the Argentinean market. It is also expected that other countries such as Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay -where pilot projects are also in place- will start to sell the produce in their local markets. Additionally, this ecological meat will soon be evaluated to European export standards."Nowadays, a global agenda is designed around the fact that livestock production is very likely to increase because of population growth and a better economic environment in the world. This growing Show Less -

Almost 7000 Small-Scale Farmer Producers to Benefit in Six StatesRural Communities among Biggest BeneficiariesWASHINGTON, August 30, 2012 – The World Bank (WB) Board of Directors approved a US$11.7... Show More + million grant today to promote sustainable production and in favor of Mexico’s biodiversity. It seeks to create sustainable production systems combining production activities, natural resource management, preservation and conservation of biodiversity, in nine biological corridors located across six states: Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Chiapas.The project supports more than 6900 small-scale producers, organized around 190 farmer groups and associations, with the intention of reducing continuing threats to protected natural areas and their species, while fostering economic opportunities in rural communities. To this end, it will promote the adoption of improved plant nutrition systems, integral pest and disease management, as well as shade-tolerant crops. It also s Show Less -

Training for production and managementThe investments are used to buy corn, bean or peanuts seeds (for both family production and consumption), buy small equipment and tools, and to improve infrastructure... Show More + used in the raising of chickens and pigs.To have access to the fund, family committees receive advice from a technical team to make a production activity plan that takes into account the market production potential and their income.Librada is happy with her production planning "we are growing more beans and vegetables because we saw in our plan that it could have good results and sell well," explains.The use of these accounting tools has made the farmers participate in production cooperatives or in communal boards.Sustainable productionAnother challenge is to guide families to change their current agricultural practices to sustainable strategies that improve natural resource management and reduce rural poverty."The training is very important for us, we are learning how Show Less -

In 2002, only 7,000 Bangladeshi households were using solar panels. Today, more than 1.4 million low-income rural households in Bangladesh have electricity—delivered by solar PV panels, most of which are... Show More + imported from China.“It’s the fastest expansion of solar energy anywhere in the world,” said Formanul Islam of Bangladesh’s Infrastructure Development Company, which is working with the World Bank to install solar home systems across theAbout half of Bangladesh’s 150 million people still don’t have access to reliable electricity, but with the low prices for solar PV panels, among other factors, installations under the Bank-supported project have doubled in the past two years to 40,000 a month.“It is changing the face of the remote, rural areas of Bangladesh,” said Zubair Sadeque, Energy Finance Specialist in the World Bank’s Dhaka office.Zubair is the task team leader of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development project in Bangladesh, for which the World Bank approved Show Less -

Among the priorities emerging from the strategy is broadening the uptake of natural capital accounting around the world. This requires changing the thinking about what makes up a nation’s wealth so that... Show More + natural capital is accounted for and protected.Another emerging agenda is around oceans through a new global partnership. Other areas include low-emissions development strategies, climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and resilience of small island developing states.The strategy includes action plans for the specific environmental challenges in each developing region of the world. For example:In Africa, work will focus on strengthening governance for natural resource management given growing pressure on the region’s agriculture, mining, forests, and water basins. In partnership with other agencies, the private sector, and civil society, the Bank Group is seeking to expand access to clean energy across the region.In East Asia and the Pacific, the Bank Group is supporting renewabl Show Less -

A recent report by the International Energy Agency says that mobilizing carbon capture and storage is critical to the success of efforts to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius, and called for “aggressive... Show More + pursuit” of seven measures to scale up CCS deployment. “Current global efforts do not match the significant emission reduction ambitions associated with CCS,” concluded the IEA study, Tracking Progress in Carbon Capture and Storage.Its seven recommendations call, among others, for mobilizing more financing for Carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration and deployment, adjusting regulatory frameworks to facilitate CCS, measures to support CCS in industry, exploration of storage options, and sharing CCS knowledge and best practices.The IEA’s analysis coincides with that of analysts who see CCS as a key mitigation technology to reduce CO2 emissions quickly enough to stop climate change from reaching the danger zone. “Fossil fuels will continue to be used for many decades, Show Less -

Natural coastal habitats that provide vital benefits to coastal communities, for example through storm protection or as the engine of tourism, are being lost. An estimated 35 percent of mangrove forests... Show More + have been lost or converted in the last few decades. And around 20 percent of coral reefs have been destroyed, with another 20 percent or more being degraded.Land-based sources of pollution are bringing further damage to the oceans, leading to at least 405 low-oxygen ocean dead zones around the world, where few life forms survive. Climate change is also threatening coastal communities through rising sea levels and worsening storms while also increasing acidification of the oceans that threatens marine life at the base of the food chain.“Decades of free-for-all exploitation along with pollution, climate change, and the dramatic degradation of coastal and marine habitats have put oceans and the economies they sustain on the brink of collapse,” World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Dev Show Less -

Over the last 20 years economic growth has lifted more than 660 million people out of poverty and raised the income levels of millions more, but growth has often come at the expense of the environment.A... Show More + variety of market, policy and institutional failures mean that the Earth’s natural capital tends to be used in ways that are economically inefficient and wasteful, without sufficient reckoning of the true social costs of resource depletion, and without adequate reinvestment in other forms of wealth. These failures threaten the long-run sustainability of growth and progress made on social welfare. Moreover, despite the gains from growth, 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity, 2.6 billion have no access to sanitation, and 900 million lack safe, clean drinking water. In other words, growth has not been inclusive enough.Economic and social sustainability, on the one hand, and social and environmental sustainability, on the other, have been found to be not only compatible, but Show Less -

Prong 1: Tailored strategies that maximize immediate benefits and avoid lock-inGreen growth policies require governments to do a better job of managing both markets and governance. Inclusive green growth... Show More + strategies and policies must be tailored to a country’s circumstances—its physical endowments, its social, economic and environmental challenges, and its institutional capacity. Even sophisticated administrations may struggle with some market-based instruments, as experience with the European Trading System has demonstrated. The optimal solutions will differ across countries with varying degrees of institutional capacity, transparency, accountability, and civil society capacity.Three strategies apply globally:Maximize local and immediate benefit: Green growth strategies need to address the political economy of reform as wll as the urgent needs that characterize most developing countries. Designing policies to maximize immediate, local benefits that are visible, such as increased effici Show Less -

SEEA: First StepsThe idea of measuring the economic value of clean air, clean water, forests and other ecosystems has been around since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. However, it did not gain traction... Show More + because of lack of widely agreed methods for putting monetary values to these services. A major step forward has been the recent adoption by the UN Statistical Commission of the System for Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA) of an internationally-agreed method to account for material natural resources like minerals, timber, and fisheries.The implementation of the SEEA was the subject of intense discussion last week among representatives from several countries, NGOs, think tanks, academic and international organizations at the second meeting of Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES). The global partnership, which World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick announced in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, has been supporting a number of countries as they prepare to imple Show Less -